Out on the edge

[Jack Stanley]

I've started fooling around with different lengths of loaded .357 ammo for the 1894c . I'd been using 1.590" and might get one hangup in a hundred rounds so , I tried seating them to 1.610" and got the same results . Last night I loaded another batch at 1.625" and if the results are the same I think I'll back the load down a bit and go shorter to see what happens .

This Lyman "cowboy" bullet looks a lot like a round nose with the front filed off so it really should work . Of course , I might just be a bit to fussy . :coffeecom

Jack

[runfiverun]

you shouldn't really have any hang-ups with a rnfp.
it could be a missed/light crimp, or just a short stroke.
and sometimes guns are just really picky about o.a.l.
my 44's will cycle 44 specials like they are made for them, but my 357's wont cycle most 38's.
one 44 [browning b-92] won't cycle anything over 1.610 and the others will go out over 1.625.
all 3 of my 45 colt leverguns will run the 452664 crimped in the groove with no issues, and will run the 454429 at a slightly longer o.a.l. but not in the crimp groove,but will handle the h&g 68 with the long nose loaded like a 45 acp.
my dads 73,and colt's lightning has to have them under 1.610 closer to 1.605 to operate correctly.
good luck.

[Jack Stanley]

I tried the long loaded one and they aren't going to come up on the lifter . Nose just barely hangs up in the magazine . A plastic probe was able to dislodge it easy enough but a magazine full would not have been fun .


So , with that all in mind this morning I thought I'd go the other way a little . I found with a over all length of 1.580" the mouth of the case completely covers the crimp groove . So what I did was reduce the powder charge a tenth of a grain and seat the bullet to 1.560" . For a crimp , I adjusted the Dillon taper crimp to just barely turn the brass into the lead . Looking at the cartridge from the front now I can just barely see a little brass from the mouth around the bullet . Since Universal clays isn't hard to light I didn't figure I'd need a real tight crimp and with bullets at .359" I doubt the bullets will get pushed into the case from magazine spring pressure .

The gun lost a screw on the lower left side but still seems to work without it . Perhaps it was a plug for a saddle ring I'll look at it a little more and maybe still get out to test these today . Any ideas where I can get a replacement screw for the carbine ?

Jack

[ReloaderFred]

You need the screw if you're going to shoot your rifle much. They're available at Midway, Brownell's, Numrich and Marlin.

By the way, I load my .357 Magnum ammunition for all my Marlin 1894c's at 1.590", and .38 Special ammunition for them at 1.480". Everything I shoot through these carbines is either a RNFP or TCFP bullet, and they feed slick as snot. I use bullets from 105 grains to 185 grains and the Marlins like them all.

Hope this helps.

Fred